The Mayo Clinic in Rochester announces its hospital restrictions due to the flu, which are different from the Albert Lea Medical Center’s restrictions. The new hospital visitation policy begins today. The rules are as follows:

No more than two visitors at a time

 No visitors who are coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, fever, or a sore throat

 No visitors under the age of 18

 Visitors must follow the hospital unit’s visiting hours

Only parents or primary caregivers may visit pediatric patients

Under extreme circumstances, exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis by hospital staff. All visitors must clean their hands before and after visiting with hand sanitizer (available throughout Saint Marys and Rochester Methodist hospitals) or soap and water. Visitors should address any questions to the unit secretary or a member of the nursing staff.

The hospital visitation policy at the Albert Lea Medical Center is less restrictive than the one at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester because ALMC doesn’t see the high risk patients that the Mayo Clinic does.